Lobbying Committee Report

By Ruben I. Safir

NYLXS was created with the intention to pave the way for fundamental changes in which computer users interact, work with, and relate to their computer systems. With an increasing amount of communications and information gathering taking place in the digital realm, the impact of politics, regulations, the market place, and the law deeply affect the mission of NYLXS and Free Software.

Free Software can play a key role in the shape of our future as a society, in protecting and enhancing our democratic values, improving our civic freedom through empowerment, regardless of economic or social standing. But to assure this future, Free Software advocates must now act to protect long standing political rights which are now under siege. Long standing assurance of property rights, freedom of association, and free speech rights are being curtailed, and threaten the existence of Linux and other Free Software initiatives. In response, NYLXS is lobbying on the State, Federal and local level to protect Fair Use, open standards, the right to read.

Our lobbying committee is spearheading New Yorkers for Fair Use, participating in demonstrations to Free Dmitry Sklarov, and in protesting the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright act. We have aligned ourselves with librarians in our Save the Libraries campaign, and have met with Congressional members and staff in the pursuit of representing Free Software in the political arena.

With digital rights management reasonably curtailed, Free Software assures privacy in your home and office, and we have the best chance to end the digital divide which hinders our growth as a people.

Join NYLXS, and help make a difference today.